In 2025, Harvey Weinstein's retrial has become a focal point in America's culture wars, with notable advocates like Candace Owens and Joe Rogan supporting him. Their involvement reflects a broader backlash against the #MeToo movement, with Weinstein's supporters framing his convictions as a challenge to its legitimacy. This trend highlights a troubling theme in which backlash movements employ tactics of false concessions, as noted by Vox's Constance Grady. Opinions from writers like Carter Sherman indicate that this backlash is a sign of the movement's impact, further complicating the discourse surrounding sexual misconduct.
As Liz Dye writes in Air Mail, Weinstein's champions include the likes of conservative pundit Candace Owens and podcaster Joe Rogan, whose advocacy for Weinstein has led to more people on the political right taking Weinstein's side in the retrial.
Dye warns that if Weinstein's legal team prevails, 'the 'victory' will be cast as a repudiation of the entire #MeToo movement.'
Carter Sherman wrote that '[t]he ferocity of the #MeToo backlash is perhaps the strongest evidence that the movement was getting somewhere.'
One of the distinctive patterns of backlash is its strategy of making false concessions. Readers can see this pattern in the case of Weinstein as well, with Dye reporting that Owens has acknowledged that Weinstein was 'immoral.'
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